About Me
I’m Cassidy El-Fazazi, a Fashion graduate from Norwich Uni of Arts
I am a womenswear designer with a rich ethnic background that influences a lot of my work. My dad is Moroccan and my mum is South African and I have family in 11 countries around the world. I’ve experimented a lot with different techniques and disciplines in fashion branching out into illustration, accessories design, textiles, and creative pattern cutting.
When starting my Final Major Project, I knew I wanted my culture to influence my concept, but I found myself unsure of how much I actually knew and embraced about my heritage. Outside of my home my two cultures never collide, and to this day the two sides of my family have never met. I thought that this could be very inspiring as a concept for me to marry my two cultures together to create a collection unique as unique as my mix.
INSPIRATION
I was inspired by South African bangles and fabrics used in traditional Moroccan takchitas.
Traditions are extremely important in African culture, from their jewellery and garments to their celebrations and ceremonies. Having been raised in the UK my upbringing didn’t centre around traditions the same way my cousins and other family members did but I was always made aware of what they were. Whenever we visited Morocco in particular we took part in many of the traditional customs. I wanted to embrace this and weave it into my concept in a way that didn’t feel too easy.
In making my final collection I captured the essence of this with wooden hoops wrapped in embroidery thread. The fabrics I chose for each look (metallic silk lame, organza, and glittered cotton) were all a nod to traditional Moroccan takchitas and their love of glitz and glamour whilst my silhouettes have been largely inspired by my mum, her style and the pieces of her wardrobe she’s passed down to me.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Concept Board
Colour and Fabric Board
Design Development
Design Development
Look 1
Look 2
Look 3
Look 4
Look 5
Look 6
Range Plan
Accessory Design: Jewellery
Accessory Design: Gloves, Tights and Hair-wraps
Shoe Design
Styling Look 1
Journey of Look 1
3D Development
Completed Look 1
Completed Looks 2 and 3
DETAIL
I joined each individually wrapped hoop with jewellery wire.
I experimented a lot with how the join the hoops in a way that wouldn’t damage the threads, kept the moulded structure, and was strong enough to be pulled tight to the body. I tested out joining the hoops with threaded but struggled with making it look intentional and choosing colourways that worked with the hoops rather than distracting from them. I tried working with fishing wire but found it too easy to snap. In the end I chose to use jewellery wire. It was surprisingly strong and held the weight of the hoops well. The metallic wire worked nicely alongside the metallic silk and didn’t distract from the overall design.
“The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.”
Graduate Fashion Week in partnership with:
